Parts dispenser and positioner

ABSTRACT

A portable parts dispenser having removable parts storage buckets mounted on a conveyor chain and having tilt and stopping means integral with the buckets, and also having a master display board illuminated by a plurality of video wires exposed selectively to light source by a shutter synchronized with the conveyor chain, which display board indicates the correct location in a printed circuit board for particular parts.

[111' 3,710,477 51 Jan. 16,1973

United States Patent 1191 Frawley [541 PARTS DISPENSER AND POSITIONER 12 1970 Hubbard.........................,...29/2()3 B Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager Attorney-Synnestvedt & Leehner [76] Inventor:

22 Filed:

ABSTRACT- A portable parts dispenser having removable parts [21] Appl. No.2 105,364

storage buckets mounted on a conveyor chain and having tilt and stopping means integral with the buckets, and also having a master display board illuminated by a plurality of video wires exposed selec- B R 3N3 030 242 UP 0 3 HO m2 m7 0 m4 MB .m ""0 u "9 m2 .c r Una .e L m n k UmF 1]] 2 00 555 [ll References Cited tively to light source by a shutter synchronized with UNITED STATES PATENTS the conveyor chain, which display board indicates the correct location in a printed circuit board for particular parts.

Urias et al.

29/407 X Gray ....29/203 B Howie.................................29/203 B 9 Claims, 15Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAH 16 I875 3,710.47?

sum 3 m 6 KENNETH 0. FRAWLEY BY i wuit d kahwp ATTORNEYS PARTS DISPENSER AND POSITIONER This invention relates to the dispensing of parts to be in the board, later to be soldered. The instant invention provides for the automatic dispensing of such'parts and the indication on a display board as to precisely where in the printed circuit board being assembled each part is to be placed.

An object of this invention is the provision of a storage apparatus for printed circuit board parts which is compact and portable.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus which delivers parts in prearranged sequence for assembly purposes.

Another object of this invention is a device which reveals the exact location for the part delivered to be assembled.

Another object of this invention is to eliminate as sembly learning time for the operator.

Another object of this invention is to increase speed of assembly of component parts in printed circuit boards.

Another object of this invention is to reduce errors and improve accuracy, as well as to reduce rejects and improve quality of printed circuit board assemblies.

Another object of this invention is to reduce operator fatigue and improve the output of an operator.

Another object of this invention is to reduce the cost of set-up time on repeat production of identical assemblies.

Another object of this invention is to improve production control and reduce costs of taking inventory of parts and parts losses.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an apparatus which is simple and can be manufactured at a lower cost than other devices heretofore conceived.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be gained by referring to the following description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the preferred form of the invention with a portion of the casing broken away to show certain of the component parts trays or buckets in elevation and with the bucket at the operators station shown in its stopped tilted position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 'is a somewhat enlarged sectional view taken as indicated by the irregular line 3-3 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan section taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a plan view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3 of a set-up plate employed in the device;

FIG. 6a is a fragmentary plan view of a modified form of set-up plate;

. FIG. 7 is an enlarged end view of one of the parts buckets and its tilting mechanism;

8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in sec tion, showing the lower parts bucket just about to enter the tilting mechanism in its upward travel;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross section, taken on the line 10-10 of FIG. 9, illustrating a safety switch device employed at the top of the access opening of the casing; FIG. 11 isa detail view of one of the fiber optics bundisplay board and printed circuit board fixture l2, and

a shutter controlled mechanism 14 associated with the fixture 12 for indicating to an operator, by means of video wires 16, the desired location for specific parts in a printed circuit board 18.

The parts dispenser unit 10 includes a casing 20. It also includes an upright endless bucket conveyor comprising a plurality of spaced buckets 22 covered by laterally spaced conveyor chains 24 The chains 24 run over upper and lower sprockets 26 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The conveyor is driven by a motor 28 through sprockets and drive chain 30 in such a manner that the right hand run as viewed in FIG. 1 travels upwardly.

The fixture 12 is mounted on a fixed table 32, and includes a housing 33 having a rectangular opening 34 in its slanting top wall 35. A master display board 36 is detachably mounted to the under side of the wall 35 by clamps 37, and the printed circuit board 18 removably positioned on the top surface of the top wall directly over the opening 34 by means of suitable locating pins 38. a

The shutter controlled mechanism 14 comprises a supporting bracket 40 secured to the casing 20 by screws 41, the table 32, a rectangular set-up plate 42, a rotatable shutter 43, a light bulb 44, a reflector 45, and a bottom cover 46.

The set-up plate 42, shown by itself in FIG. 6, is sup ported on the table 32 directly over an opening 47 (see FIG. 3) in the table. The shutter 43 is rotatably supported between a shouldered bearing member 48 attached to the supporting bracket 40 and a bearing plate 49 attached to the bearing member 48.

The set-up plate 42 and the support bracket 40 are each provided with a plurality of equally circumferentially spaced holes arranged in concentric circles. In the embodiment shown, 22 holes are employed, corresponding to the 22 buckets of the endless conveyor described heretofore.

The holes 55 of the set-up plate and the aligned holes 56 of the support bracket are adapted to receive the ferrules 57 surrounding the 22 bundles of video wires 16. The rotatable shutter 43 is provided with one hole 58 adapted to be aligned with successive holes 55 and 56 as the shutter rotates in stepped movement.

The reflector 45 and the light bulb 44 are supported from the bottom cover 46 by legs 60 and bolts 61. The cover is hinged to the support bracket 40 by a hinge 62, and is held in closed position by bolt 63. In the event of a bulb failure, it is only necessary to remove the bolt 63 and swing the cover 46 down to replace the bulb, as indicated in the dot and dash lines in FIG. 1.

The shutter 43 is intermittently rotated,'i.e., step by step, by means of a rotating drive pin 65 carried by a drive shaft 66 mounted in a bearing 67. It is driven by a sprocket 68 drivingly connected by chain 69 to a sprocket 70. As shown in FIG. 1, the sprocket 70 is so mounted that it engages the chain 24 and is rotated thereby as the chain travels upwardly. As clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the drive pin 65 engages the peripheral notches 71 of the shutter. With each revolution of the drive pin 65, the shutter is rotated one notch. In order yieldingly to hold the shutter in indexed position, a ball detent device 72 (FIG. 3), engageable in indexing holes 73 in the shutter, is provided.

Reverting now to the parts buckets 22, it will be seen that they are provided with end lugs 80 having vertical slots 81 for readily slipping the buckets onto projecting pins 82 carried at spaced intervals along the length of the chains 24. The pins 82 are provided with enlarged heads 83 fitting slots 84 in the lugs 80 to position the buckets laterally between the runs of the chains The pins 82 act as pivot pins for the buckets.

The lugs 80 of the buckets are provided with edge cam surfaces 85 which as best seen in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9 engage cam surfaces 86 of the upright fixed brackets 87. The brackets 87 are fixedly secured to the casing at 88 (FIGS. 8 and 9). In order to prevent hook up of the buckets as the lugs 80 engage the cam surfaces 86 in the upward travel of the buckets, the lug and cam surfaces are provided with lead-ins 89 and 90 respectively. It is to be noted that the bucket lugs 80 are provided with cam surfaces 85 at both edges, as seen in FIG. 7, thus enabling the buckets to be hung on the chains in either end position.

Engagement of the bucket lugs with the cam surfaces tilts the bucket from its horizontal position to its tilted position, as in FIG. 7, thereby affording ready access to the parts carried in the buckets. When a bucket reaches its titled position, a normally closed switch 95 is opened to stop bucket travel.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 7 and 9, it will be observed that the bucket when in its tilted parts dispensing position is stabilized and maintained in good switch contact by means of a stabilizing spring 96 secured to a suitable fixed bracket 97 of the casing 20 as by means of screws 98.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 9 and 10, it is pointed out that a normally closed safety switch 100 is provided at the top of the access opening 101 of the casing 20, which switch is adapted to be opened to stop the drive in the event that an operators hand is between an upwardly moving bucket and the top of the access opening 101. The switch 100 is activated by means of a laterally extending activator 102 held in place by a strap 103 secured to the casing 20 by bolts 104. As seen in FIG. 10, the activator 102 is positioned in its down or normal position by means of an upper lip 105 engaging the strap 103.

The equipment is started in operation by means of a normally open foot switch 110 which is connected to start the motor 28 and to energize a spring loaded brake solenoid 111 to release the motor brake 112. When a bucket arrives at its tilted position (FIG. 7), the

normally closed bucket switch 95 is opened to stop the motor 28 and deenergize the brake solenoid to spring apply the brake. It is to be noted that the cam surface 86 of the bracket 87 is of a length such that momentarily stepping on the foot switch, for example as by accident, would only jog the conveyor a little. In order to advance the elevator to a bucket tilting position, the foot must be held on the foot switch at least a few seconds, i.e., there is a time delay action so to speak.

In FIG. 6a, a modified form of set-up plate 42a is shown in which three circular rows of video wire holes 55a are provided. In this instance, each circular row will accommodate 22 bundles of video wires 16. When employing this type of set-up plate, the buckets 22 are provided with partitions 22a dividing the buckets into three parts receiving pockets, as shown in FIG. 13.

In operation, a printed circuit board 18 which is to have parts assembled in it is placed on the top wall 35 of the fixture 12 directly over the rectangular opening 34. It is located in position by the locating pins 38. When so located, the holes in the printed circuit board 18 coincide with the holes in the master display board 36.

The parts to be inserted into printed circuit board 18 have been placed in the buckets 22. In the preferred embodiment, eachbucket 22 contains parts of a kind different than those in each of the other buckets. Thus, there exists a potential for 22 different parts. If a larger potential is desired, the modified bucket shown in FIG. 13 may be used.

An operator depresses the starting switch 110, which in turn moves the chains 24. This causes a bucket 22 to ascend to the lead in surface 90 of the bracket 87. As the bucket continues to ascend, it is tilted in the manner shown in FIG. 7 by the cumming action produced by the cooperation of the surface 85 of the lug and the bracket 87. When the leading edge of the surface reaches the switch 95, that switch is depressed and the travel of the conveyor is terminated. Contact with this switch is assured by the biasing action of the spring 96, as described heretofore.

As the conveyor has brought a bucket 22 up to and into contact with the switch 95, the drive pin 65 has been moved by the chain and sprocket drive 68, 69, and 70 so that the hole 58 in the shutter 43 has been indexed to the next hole in the set-up plate 42. This in turn vectors the light from the bulb 44 through the hole 58 and into the video wire bundle 16' positioned immediately above that hole. This transmits the light from the light source through the video wires in that bundle up to the points in the master display board 36 where those particular wires terminate. The light so transmitted is further transmitted through those holes in the printed circuit board 18 which are immediately above the holes in the display board where those wires then being illuminated terminate. Since the display board 36 has holes in it at identical locations to the holes in the printed circuit board 18, and since the display board 36 has been programmed in advance in accordance with a diagram designating where particular parts are to be inserted in the printed circuit board to which it coincides, the video wires then lighted and terminating in the display board indicate to the operator in which holes in the printed circuit board 18 the parts contained in the bucket 22 then held between the spring 96 and the bracket 87 are to be placed.

When the parts in the bucket then tilted have been placed in the proper places in the printed circuit board 18, the foot switch 110 is again depressed to commence an identical sequence of operations bringing to the tilted position the next bucket 22. As will be realized, in that next sequence, the shutter 43 is indexed to the next position, thereby registering the hole 58 beneath the next bundle of video wires. This in turn lights up different holes in the display 36 and thus different holes in the printed circuit board 18.

The video wires which make up the bundles 16 are a plastic material which when sheathed in a jacket have the property of causing light waves to travel along their length. Such objects, those of ordinary skill will realize, are available on the market.

Although the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in details may be resorted to without departing from its spirit and scope, as hereinafter claimed.

1 claim:

1. In combination, a parts dispensing upright endless bucket conveyor having a plurality of spaced parts holding buckets each of said buckets being adapted to hold different kinds of parts, a dispensing station at which said parts are to be dispensed, said conveyor including indexing means for moving said buckets in sequence to said station, a support surface for holding a workpiece on which the parts are to be mounted, an indicating device for illuminating different locations on said workpiece upon which different of said parts are to be mounted and means controlled by said conveyor and connected to said indicating device for selectively illuminating different ones of said locations on said workpiece corresponding to the parts contained in the particular bucket positioned at said dispensing station.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said indicating device comprises a support fixture for supporting the workpiece, a light source, a plurality of optical elements each capable of transmitting light from said source to a selected location on said workpiece whereby said location is illuminated, an apertured shutter intermediate the optical elements and the light source, and means controlled by said conveyor for moving the shutter in accordance with conveyor movement whereby light is transmitted to only those elements adjacent the aperture.

3. Apparatus for use in the assembly of printed circuits and like articles comprising a parts dispensing upright endless bucket conveyor for dispensing a plurality of different kinds of parts including a plurality of part holding buckets and means for sequentially index ing the buckets to a dispensing station, a device positioned adjacent said dispensing station for supporting a board on which the parts are to be mounted, optical means including a plurality of light transmitting elements for selectively illuminating local areas on said boardcan be mounted, a pluralit of tiptical elements establishing light paths to a plura ity 0 locations on a board mounted on said support fixture, said locations being posit-ions at which different parts are to be mounted, a source of light for illuminating all of said optical elements, an apertured shutter device intermediate the optical elements and thesource of light for blocking the path of light to all elements except elements adjacent the shutter aperture and means for moving said shutter device relative to said light source and said optical elements whereby selected of said elements are illuminated.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising an upright endless bucket conveyor including a plurality of spaced buckets each capable of holding different kinds of circuit elements and means for sequential indexing of said buckets to a dispensing station, said ap paratus further comprising means for synchronizing the movement of said shutter with movement of said buckets whereby only locations are illuminated on said board at which the parts in the bucket at the dispensing stations are to be mounted.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 for use in the as sembly of boards having openings at the points where parts are to be mounted, a master board on said support fixture mounted directly beneath the board being assembled, said optical elements terminating in openings in the master board in registry with the openings in the board being assembled, the other ends of said optical elements being arranged in bundles, the bundles being arranged in a circular pattern, said shutter device being mounted for rotation on an axis passing through the center of the circular pattern in which the bundles are arranged, with the aperture in the shutter being radially spaced from the center so that it is aligned with the bundled ends of the elements.

7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein certain of said optical elements are differently colored whereby light of different colors is transmitted to different locations on a board being assembled.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means on said conveyor for tiltably mounting said buckets and a camming device adjacent said dispensing station for tilting the bucket when it is indexed to the station.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 further including a switch at said dispensing station said switch being operable by a bucket to stop the conveyor when the bucket reaches the dispensing station. 

1. In combination, a parts dispensing upright endless bucket conveyor having a plurality of spaced parts holding buckets each of said buckets being adapted to hold different kinds of parts, a dispensing station at which said parts are to be dispensed, said conveyor including indexing means for moving said buckets in sequence to said station, a support surface for holding a workpiece on which the parts are to be mounted, an indicating device for illuminating different locations on said workpiece upon which different of said parts are to be mounted and means controlled by said conveyor and connected to said indicating device for selectively illuminating different ones of said locations on said workpiece corresponding to the parts cOntained in the particular bucket positioned at said dispensing station.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said indicating device comprises a support fixture for supporting the workpiece, a light source, a plurality of optical elements each capable of transmitting light from said source to a selected location on said workpiece whereby said location is illuminated, an apertured shutter intermediate the optical elements and the light source, and means controlled by said conveyor for moving the shutter in accordance with conveyor movement whereby light is transmitted to only those elements adjacent the aperture.
 3. Apparatus for use in the assembly of printed circuits and like articles comprising a parts dispensing upright endless bucket conveyor for dispensing a plurality of different kinds of parts including a plurality of part holding buckets and means for sequentially indexing the buckets to a dispensing station, a device positioned adjacent said dispensing station for supporting a board on which the parts are to be mounted, optical means including a plurality of light transmitting elements for selectively illuminating local areas on said board where parts are to be mounted, and synchronizing means controlled by said conveyor for selectively illuminating different ones of said light transmitting elements in accordance with the bucket at said dispensing station.
 4. Apparatus for use in the manufacture of printed circuits comprising a support fixture on which a circuit board can be mounted, a plurality of optical elements establishing light paths to a plurality of locations on a board mounted on said support fixture, said locations being positions at which different parts are to be mounted, a source of light for illuminating all of said optical elements, an apertured shutter device intermediate the optical elements and the source of light for blocking the path of light to all elements except elements adjacent the shutter aperture and means for moving said shutter device relative to said light source and said optical elements whereby selected of said elements are illuminated.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising an upright endless bucket conveyor including a plurality of spaced buckets each capable of holding different kinds of circuit elements and means for sequential indexing of said buckets to a dispensing station, said apparatus further comprising means for synchronizing the movement of said shutter with movement of said buckets whereby only locations are illuminated on said board at which the parts in the bucket at the dispensing stations are to be mounted.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 4 for use in the assembly of boards having openings at the points where parts are to be mounted, a master board on said support fixture mounted directly beneath the board being assembled, said optical elements terminating in openings in the master board in registry with the openings in the board being assembled, the other ends of said optical elements being arranged in bundles, the bundles being arranged in a circular pattern, said shutter device being mounted for rotation on an axis passing through the center of the circular pattern in which the bundles are arranged, with the aperture in the shutter being radially spaced from the center so that it is aligned with the bundled ends of the elements.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein certain of said optical elements are differently colored whereby light of different colors is transmitted to different locations on a board being assembled.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means on said conveyor for tiltably mounting said buckets and a camming device adjacent said dispensing station for tilting the bucket when it is indexed to the station.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 8 further including a switch at said dispensing station said switch being operable by a bucket to stop the conveyor when the bucket reaches the dispensing station. 